Using Astro-psychology with homeopathy

by Kris Frank

The term astro-psychology (1) denotes how a
person’s natal horoscope can help understand their psychology, including the potential at birth on all levels from a holistic
perspective. Being astrologically literate entails being able to read a birth
chart to derive the meaning of the positions of all the planets in all the
signs. Astro-psychology has, of course, no formal connection with homeopathy
nor with psychology but is a very useful adjunct to both.

In a letter to the Hindu astrologer, B.V. Raman,
on 6th September, 1947, Carl Jung wrote: "Since you want to
know my opinion about astrology I can tell you that I've been interested in
this particular activity of the human mind since more than 30 years. As I am a
psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope
sheds on certain complications in the character. In cases of difficult
psychological diagnosis I usually get a horoscope in order to have a further
point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say that I very often
found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise
would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the
opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist.” (2)

Jung, too, wrote about his study of
astro-psychology and of particular interest is his own research on marriage
relationships in relation to planetary positions and astrological signs. He
seemed to adopt an objective viewpoint and to be convinced that here was
something worth studying that could be of use to the psychologist (3).

With his immersion in anthroposophy followed by
the encounter with Jung, it is not surprising to learn from
his daughter, Sarah Schaleger, that Edward Whitmont drew up the charts of his
patients as a matter of course. He quotes Gauguelin’s study of birth chartsshowing possible
correlation between planetary positions and a person’s occupation. He combined
psychology with astrology and, as we know, went further by bringing in
homeopathy, being perhaps the first to combine them in his practice as a triad
of disciplines. Sadly, he never wrote about his experience.

Some astrologers think that astro-psychology
works not in a causative, but in a symbolic way. In other words, there is no
celestial or cosmic mechanism that causes a person to have a certain
personality at birth but, rather, the birth chart may be viewed in a slightly
similar way to an I Ching or tarot reading, albeit more permanent. Whitmont’s
discussion of non-causality (4) suggests that he may have possibly thought along these lines although
he did not mention astrology specifically in this context.

Jung, on the other hand, raised the possibility
of a causal connection and, more recently, there have even been scientists, swimming against
the stream, who have ventured with their own theories to that effect (5). A scientific
explanation may one day be forthcoming although, most likely, from within a new
scientific paradigm. In the meantime, it must be realised that a causative
explanation implies that, alongside genes and the psycho-physical environment,
there are astro-morphic forces which act as a third factor in determining and
shaping our constitutions and personalities. If, as homeopaths, we are prepared
to accept that, then awareness of these forces can at times inform our
prescribing and case management.

Astro-psychology
and homeopathy

There have been several articles in the
homeopathic literature over the last few decades about using the elements of
Fire, Earth, Air and Water to help understand the patient - mainly stemming
from the map of elements developed by Israeli homeopath Joseph Reeves, which
many teachers call the ‘Circle’ of elements, but which Misha Norland has
renamed the ‘Mappa Mundi’.

There has been almost nothing that looks at how
we can use a patient’s birth chart to help us understand the patient apart from
focusing on the elements. An unpublished final-year dissertation proved to be a
step in this direction, attempting to link certain constitutional types to
particular sun-signs (6).

.

Instances of where
astro-psychology can be helpful in the homeopathic context:

~ When our
understanding of a case is limited, with no
idea of what to give.

This especially applies after several
prescriptions have failed. Also, where the person is obviously sick and
suffering but no medical diagnosis is forthcoming, and
/ or when the symptoms are all common ones, or there are too few
symptoms in the case (the two-legged stool) - then techniques involving the
natal chart and transiting planetary positions may help to elucidate what is
going on in the inner psychology of the patient. (An example of this will be
given later.)

~ In case of uncertainty about
whether to prescribe for the central dynamic (expressed by the natal chart) or
for a ‘happening’ - an acute or chronic acute, a ‘side issue’ that seems to
manifest as a recent ‘layer’ and often seems unrelated to the central
dynamic, delusion, or sensation.

Sometimes, this can be due to an astrological
transit (the positions of particular planets as they move now in relation to
where they were on the birth chart). Jung wrote: “I have
observed many cases where a well-defined psychological phase, or an analogous
event, was accompanied by a transit (particularly when Saturn and Uranus were
affected).” ³

~ The natal chart
can be useful, too, in counselling clients about their relationships with
others, or in helping them understand their own ‘stuckness’.

A patient of mine was convinced that her
mother-in-law disliked her, and would not believe her husband when he said this
was not the case. In the course of homeopathic treatment, we spent much of one
session focusing on the issue that concerned her. With the mother-in-law’s date
of birth, I was able to ascertain that the she had been unable to demonstrate
affection in a normal way, and her coldness was not directed at my patient in a
personal way but was part of her personality structure. That transformed my
patient’s understanding of her mother-in-law’s behaviour and made her seeming
coldness much easier to deal with for my patient.

An instance of
where homeopathy can assist research into the nature of astro-psychology:

One criticism incurred by
astrologers is their tendency to make the person fit the birth chart or vice
versa. My term for this is ‘automatic convergence'. One way to minimise it is
by attempting to predict which planets one would expect to be involved in the
central dynamic of their natal horoscope. (That is done once the first
consultation is over, and from one’s accumulated knowledge of the patient’s
story and personality.) This then can be checked against the actual birth chart
on the computer to test the accuracy of the astro-psychological theory.

A limitation of that method
is that, without the time and place of birth, one is unable to ascertain a
person’s rising sign, nor the exact position of their moon. Another, is that
the prediction rate is in proportion to one’s acquired experience.

If the principles of
astro-psychology have not just been adopted as received wisdom, then procedures
like this can help the open-minded practitioner to test out the theory of
astro-psychology. According to Karl
Popper (7), no
theory can be regarded as scientific unless it is capable of being proved true
or false, and this is the philosophical bedrock of all modern science. To do
that is not always an easy task and even some seemingly scientific theories
fail to meet the criterion, String Theory in
theoretical physics being a current example of this.

The method of experimentation
outlined above, while not without flaws and caveats, might go some way towards
satisfying Popper’s ‘falsifiabilty’ criterion and therefore partially solve the
problem of 'automatic convergence'.

Different
ways that the birth chart may be used in
homeopathic analysis:

~ Assess what
element each planet is in, to find out the overall balance of the four
elements.

This can be for various purposes, one of which is
to get an idea of the kingdoms. A predominance of Water might suggest a sea
remedy; if all Earth, then one might think of the mineral kingdom or certain
plants; if all planets and lights (lights is the old word for the Sun and Moon)
are in Air, that might make one consider a gas or certain imponderables; and I
will leave you to consider what might be suggested by having almost all planets
in Fire.

Of course, these are maybes and possibilities. We
must always consider the polarity between Fire and Air, and Earth and Water. I
had a client once whose chart was all Earth but her spoken imagery was all
watery. She seemed to be compensating for
what she lacked. Most people, though, are a mixture of elements, which makes
the choice of kingdom less easy. I find in case analysis with students and
colleagues that there is a tendency to rush into a decision on the kingdom too
early and with inadequate information. Only very occasionally do I use the elements as guide
towards finding the kingdom, and only when there is
a clear predominance of one.

~ Look at the the
central dynamic of the chart (thepattern of lines drawn
in the centre circle between planets) and get a feel of
the effect.

Very occasionally, the pattern alone can give one
an idea for a particular remedy or family of remedies. This should of course,
if at all possible, be borne out by the symptomatology. Are there one, or two,
planets that are controlling everything? What are they and how do their
astrological qualities relate to the symptomatology, dynamic or story of the
patient.

Example: What impression do you
get from the central pattern in the chart
below? It belonged to a patient of mine. Ignatia had helped her
greatly in 1995 while her husband was suffering from motor neurone disease, but
stopped working soon after he died, and for several years nothing worked at all. All her symptoms
were common symptoms, such as
lassitude and tiredness, with hundreds of remedies listed for each symptom and
with very few modalities. Eventually, I was forced to prescribe on her chart
alone.

The
pattern we see at the centre looks like a two-dimensional form of what, in geometry, is called a Five
Simplex, or Hexateron.

I
immediately thought of a crystal of some kind and, in the days before the internet could furnish us with instant
information, I prescribed Adamas, partly because over several years, with
a dying husband and two wayward and disturbed teenage daughters, she had coped
amazingly under huge emotional pressure without ever
showing the sign of an emotional crack (and the structure on the birth chart
appeared to be a very strong one). The only other minor characteristic of a
diamond was that she always seemed emotionally very flat when arriving for a
consultation, but left with sparkling eyes following some humorous banter at
the end of the consultation, (shining from reflected light). I had also heard
somewhere that in their natural state, before being cut, a diamond only has six
sides.

Adamas broke the log-jam of
‘no change’ in the patient, improving her energy,
mood and physical symptoms whenever they returned, where no other remedy had
acted.

~ Some homeopaths
use the principles of traditional medical astrology (8).

Medical astrology is an ancient system that
associates the planets and signs with particular parts of the body and specific
tendencies to illness. It is very occasionally employed by homeopaths, as when
choosing herbs and supplements.

~ One can look at
the transits of the planets as they are affecting the person now.

A transit in astro-psychology is a
method of interpreting the continuous movements of a planet in terms of its
effects on a person. To do that, a comparison has to be made between the
position of the planet at a given moment and that of other planets fixed in the
natal horoscope (the two-dimensional map of the psycho-physical forces active
at the moment of birth). Specific attention is given to the angles that these
transiting planets make with the natal planetary positions of an individual
(called ‘aspects’).

Why has the patient come to consult a homeopath
now? In the case of a sudden flare-up, what might have caused it, if no other
external cause is apparent? When is the transit due to finish? Might the
patient’s chronic flare-up be due to a transit and, therefore, be self-limiting
and, if minor, not needing homeopathic intervention? Alternatively, with the
apparent onset of serious disease, what was the exciting cause and could a
transit be responsible? Should we treat it at all, or prescribe only for the
central dynamic structure of the birth chart? Although the latter is only the
potential, and not a disease, it does reveal much, in depth, about the person
and their constitution.

This brings up the general question of causation.
Caution is needed for, if a transiting planet can sometimes cause a health
phenomenon, can we be sure that our homeopathic prescribing acted curatively,
or was it just that the transit had come to an end? We should remain forever
cautious about ascribing credit to a given remedy prescription.

However, it is still of course possible for a
patient suffering from a challenging transit to derive great benefit from the
homeopathic prescription that helps them weather a period of physical or
psychological instability thrown up by such a transit. It can often help them manage
what otherwise might be a frightening and confusing period.

This raises another important point for
prescribing astro-psychologists. If a flare-up of chronic complaint occurs at
the start of a major transit and the chosen remedy palliates well but does not
cure, it is not necessarily the wrong remedy, although that is of course a
strong possibility. It maybe that the effect of some transits, whether physical
or psychological, is just too strong even for the simillimum.

For those open to such explanations the fact,
too, of being aware of why it is happening often helps patients cope with their instability during a transit.

~ Provings of planetary light

For homeopaths who use astro-psychology, there
exist, too, the provings of Sol, Luna, Light of
Venus,
and Light of Saturn with, hopefully, more to come. To skeptics, most
of them will never be more than the reflected light of the sun, however, there
are cured cases suggesting that this light is somehow transformed into a number
of different healing medicines, possibly bringing with it an accumulated memory
of the dynamic of each of the planetary bodies.

They may sometimes be indicated as remedies in
patients where a particular planet is central to the dynamic inherent in their
natal horoscope. They might, too, sometimes be effective when prescribed for
the effects of a specific planetary transit. However, as yet, there is a
paucity of recorded cases.

Conclusion

Homeopathy, astrology and psychology are two of the most fascinating
humanistic disciplines. They can be an invaluable combination. For finding the
simillimum, astrology is not needed every time, yet it remains in our toolbox
for when needed and as a constant support.

On this hundredth anniversary of Whitmont’s
birth, perhaps it is a fitting time to form a group of like-minded,
astrologically literate, astro-psychologists who practise homeopathy. Those
interested may contact me via astrohoms@gmail.com.

Thank you for this-I am a beginner student of homeopathy and practicing astrologer and I've been looking for an example to follow as to how I might combine the two.

Though I see some misgivings among the homeopathic community about astrology, as well as doubt about homeopathy in the astrological community, it's evident to me in my practice that astrology provides a reliable, objective and scientific way to see what is uniquely individual about someone.

I'm heartened that there continues to be curious, open minded homeopaths who are brave enough to know that they may have much to learn and exchange with disciplines other than their own...I think Hahnemann would approve:)

We all all connected to each other biologically, to the earth, chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically.
The fields of Homeopathy and Astrology overlap within those fields. Both necessarily have energetic and/or electro-magnetic components. Chemical, Biological and Atomic fields are ONE.
Whenever people in any domain get into the "I have authority, and thereby I can call you delusional" does one not realize what they are doing?
Essentially one is creating separation here. This is against any community.It creates dissidence.
The universe and reality is NOT separate fields but overlapping and holistic fields.
That people try to SEPARATE fellow beings and call this LEGITIMATE is not only contrary to true fellowship or any community, is not even the reflection of the actual nature of reality.
NO COMMUNITY WILL EVER BE BUILT UPON SUCH GROUNDS.If one is not serving the community,then who is one serving?
The future is a combination of multi-disciplinary approaches to health, and a collaborative approach to the the worlds problems, which will be served with equality, collaboration, kindness and wisdom and using proper Philosophical enquiry.

Last Edit: October 07, 2012, 07:56:27 by mache

Posts: 12

Re:Reply #9 on : Sat October 06, 2012, 14:49:06

It is expected that the new agey feel good practitioners would use the only tactic that they have to support such gibberish, that of calling those who would criticize such non sense as being close minded. This of course is a red herring.Saying that science is about open mindedness is at best a very poor excuse. Science is first and foremost about theory/hypothesis followed by peer review, i.e. criticism and critique. Unfortunately we now have a community at large that is allergic to both critical thinking and analysis and is often mistaking legitimate objective criticism as a personal attack or worse confusing it for veering to far away from the delicate niceties of political correctness.
If ever there was a moment in the making in which the homeopathic community will look back and say, "oh my, that is where we mistakenly confused every therapeutic modality under the sun for homeopathy", this is that moment.
The author in the above article says that "astro-psychology" can be helpful when you don't know what else to give"? If you don't know what to give or what else to do, why not turn to a landscaper, plumber or your primary care doctor? What is the difference then if we "keep and open mind", between turning to any other person with an absolutely unrelated skill set and practicing legitimately reproducible homeopathy? If you don't know what to give then we as a professional medically scientific community should be questioning you as to why your a homeopath to begin with.
If a tree falls on my house and does damage, do you call your homeopath? Remember to open and expand your minds now. Do you contact an oncologist? Do you treat the house with chemo radiation? Why not? The same argument of crossing or including every inane and grossly unproven other idea under the sun can now be called homeopathy with an open mind.
This new agey feel goodedness in which there is zero peer review, zero professional criticism and an ever decreasing quality to our standards of care is already doing damage to our art and science.
Now crossing a terrible excuse for even bad pseudo science in astrology, we can look forward to further black eyes for homeopathy at large. At a time when the potential for homeopathy is faltering we have a community unwilling to challenge bad practices and terrible rates of cure. No one questioning the illegitimacy of fellow practitioners prescribing un proven rx's, experimenting on their patients with regards to homeoprophylaxis,and now using dowsing rods, the doctrine of signatures, dreams and the planets to arrive at the simillimum....we don't need to worry about state/federal agencies or allopaths or skeptics, we are doing the art and science of homeopathy our own gross disservice.
And to Dana, do you think now under even the most basic legitimate and objective scrutiny that Whitmont would still have such profound respect for astrology, given that it has been soundly debunked?

Posts: 12

Astrology & HomeopathyReply #8 on : Thu October 04, 2012, 10:52:01

Indeed “Genes-as-Destiny” seems to be a favorite theme of some people who are still stuck in the lost Golden Age of Genetic Determinism. Serious geneticists no longer believe that DNA is a primary determinant of an organism’s traits. Following the findings of the Human Genome Project, biologists have stumbled upon a rather startling and humbling revelation – there simply aren’t enough genes to account for the complexity of human life or disease [Lipton: Biology of Belief, Hay House 2011]. So, the claim that a simple blood test can reveal a person’s pre-disposition to disease is rather over-simplistic.

Yoga, dowsing, astrology, periodic table, and sensations as not presuppositions, prejudices, and blind beliefs – they are heuristic tools, i.e., experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. They are not answers by themselves – they are more like a finger pointing to an avenue that will lead us towards truth. For example, Kekule’s famous dream led him to propose the structure of benzene and Francis Crick was under the influence of LSD when he first deduced the double-helix structure of DNA.

Posts: 12

using astrology with his patientsReply #7 on : Thu October 04, 2012, 10:27:04

Referring to Dana’s comment, it seems then that we lack information on precisely how he used astrology with his patients. I wonder whether somebody can enlighten us. Sarah’s exact words were, “He did charts for all of us and all of his homeopathic and Jungian patients.”

Posts: 12

Using Astro-psychology with homeopathyReply #6 on : Wed October 03, 2012, 19:03:37

Look at what allopahty is doing-
-------------------------------
The Gene research brought in simple blood test to accurately forecast a person's life long predisposition to disease.

Look at what homeopathy is doing- It is banking on astrology
----------------------------------------------
Every thing and every idea that looks peculiar and queer can not be brought into the domain of Homeopathy. The pseudo intellectuals, for the sake of name and fame, shaking already the castle of homeopathy in the name of yoga, dowsing, astrology, periodic table, sensations, based on imaginations, presuppositions, prejudices, blind beliefs whose results are just like placebos. Astrology is a failure in many cases and a success by chance. If it is mixed with homeopathy the latter become trash to be thrown into dustbin. We are giving lethal weapon to Lancet and WHO to de-recognise Homeopathy as a scientific medicine and declare it as an occult medicine.

Last Edit: October 03, 2012, 19:11:15 by mache

Posts: 12

Astrology and HomeopathyReply #5 on : Wed October 03, 2012, 12:59:41

I am glad Interhomeopathy has dedicated this issue to Edward Whitmont and allowed the publication of the article on astro-psychology. I am a practicing homeopath and a Vedic astrologer; however, I have never learnt to use the two disciplines together and would like to join the group proposed by Kris Frank.

I shall not put up a defense in favor of Homeopathy or Astrology – but it has been my experience that all criticism directed at these two streams of knowledge comes from people who have neither studied nor put into practice either of these subjects. Sadly, most people form their opinions and bias against astrology from the crass weekly astrology columns that magazines and papers print to pander to the tastes of insecure individuals.

Kris has indeed succinctly summarized instances where astrology can assist the homeopath, but I would like to know whether he uses sidereal charts rather than tropical charts. The two zodiacs overlap 25% of the time, but for consistent results, most Western astrologers now use the sidereal zodiac like their Vedic counterparts as it represents the astronomical events as they are observed from Earth. Also, the Dasa/Bhukti system of Vedic astrology gives better results with transits.

The correspondence of elements and planets is interesting indeed. Perhaps, one could extend this further by incorporating organ affinities with elemental cycles as is done in TCM.

Posts: 12

Astrology - HomeopathyReply #4 on : Wed October 03, 2012, 12:15:02

I too asked Dr. Whitmont his thoughts and experiences with astrology. He told me that he had a profound respect for astrology; however, he felt that both homeopathy and astrology are each empirical sciences, but they are separate from each other. He told me that he does not use astrology to determine a person's homeopathic medicine.

The fear that such combinbation miscredit homeopathy is a bit overdrawn I think. It must be possible to experiment and think freely within a science. This doesn't mean to go "outside" with it.
One of the problems is, that Dr.K.C. Mural..(rest of name wasN#t readable) doesn't know anything about astrology I guess. So he himself speaks about something he don't understand, the same with enemies of homoepathy, who don't effort to look seiously at the subject before coming to an really well proposed opinion.
By chance I'm astrologer and homeopath.I find it right, to work with 2 or more "instruments" when working on cases. Everbody of us does this, even when it is not marked.We all have our analysis systems and patterns when working with homeopathy.our prescription is based an an interpretation of asked and given symptoms, informations and facts, etc. we always interpretate this.
We live in a time of massive chances. I'm sure we more and more develop in all subjects to a more open, more parallel sight and understanding and acting of things, because reality of life means to be one. So everbody should be free in building his patterns of understanding etc.
Your answer Dr. M. bases on a sort of materialistic basis, which we will never reach in homeopathy, because it from beginning on, never was our base. We work with energy and information. Materialists will never accept this.The only possibility to get acceptance is in my opinion, to show clear the moment when matter turns into non-matter and still causes effects. Such experiments to proof homeopathy were undertaken with positive results - although they weren't accepted or brought a change. This is because time is still not ripe and isn't rooted in homeopathy or it representations.
So I agree with Sally Williams. There's nothing to fear, in opposit: we have the chance to be "sign-reader" on a deep level which will be regared as pionering.